Free Drawboard PDF AlternativesTop PDF Readers & Note-taking Tools like Drawboard PDF

The best free alternative to Drawboard PDF is Okular, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Drawboard PDF and loads of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Drawboard PDF are Foxit PDF Reader, Xournal++, Excalidraw and Evince.

More about Drawboard PDF
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Drawboard PDF alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Okular icon

    Okular

     490 likes

    Multi-platform document viewer offering extensive format support, including PDF, comics, images, EPUB, and Markdown, with annotation tools, sidebar previews, text-to-speech, DRM management, cross-platform compatibility, and integration with KDE Frameworks libraries.

    120 Okular alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Snapcraft
    • Linux Mobile
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    Okular screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    Okular vs Drawboard PDF Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    2

    The annotation for okular doesn't function as seamless drawing on a PDF

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    dsohad
    Positive
    -1

    The pen isnt work with this app.

    • Okular is Free and Open SourceDrawboard PDF is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Okular is Lightweight and Privacy focusedDrawboard PDF is not according to our users
  2. Foxit PDF Reader icon

    Foxit PDF Reader

     1381 likes

    Foxit Reader offers a lightweight PDF viewing experience across multiple platforms with features such as annotation, form filling, signing, cloud storage integration, collaborative review options, heightened security via Trust Manager, and organizational tools like Group Policy and XML Configuration.

    131 Foxit PDF Reader alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Bundleware

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • ReactOS
    Foxit PDF Reader screenshot 1
     
    |
    4
    Foxit PDF Reader vs Drawboard PDF Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    4

    You can write into the PDF, underline text, ... Similar features to Drawboard PDF even in the free version.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Pencil and free flow handwriting isn't supported well with Foxit

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    violoncello
    Negative
    1

    doesn't allow handwritten annotations with a stylus

    3 of 4 comments
    • Foxit PDF Reader is Free Personal and ProprietaryDrawboard PDF is Freemium and Proprietary
    • Foxit PDF Reader is LightweightDrawboard PDF is not according to our users
  4. Xournal++ icon

    Xournal++

     194 likes

    Handwritten note-taking and PDF annotation using pen input and pressure sensitivity, shape drawing, customizable toolbar layouts, image insertion, audio recording, multi-language options, LaTeX integration, and complete export in PDF or PNG formats across all platforms.

    62 Xournal++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Xournal++ screenshot 1
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Ashampoo PDF Free icon
    Ashampoo PDF Free

    Ashampoo PDF Free is a software for opening, reading, and creating PDF files. It includes a built-in printer driver for generating PDFs from any Windows application, a compact and fast PDF reader, and the ability to fill out inte...

    https://www.ashampoo.com
    Learn More
  6. Excalidraw icon

    Excalidraw

     109 likes

    Excalidraw is an open-source whiteboard tool that lets you easily sketch diagrams that have a hand-drawn feel to them. Available directly online as a web app and also through CodeSandbox to easily see how the code works, and the app is available for self-hosting.

    90 Excalidraw alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Cloudron
    Excalidraw screenshot 1
     
  7. Evince icon

    Evince

     462 likes

    Evince (or GNOME Document Viewer) is a document viewer for multiple document formats: PDF, Postscript, djvu, tiff, dvi, XPS, SyncTex support with gedit, comics books (cbr,cbz,cb7 and cbt) and others. See Supported Document Formats for details.

    123 Evince alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    Evince screenshot 1
     
  8. KOReader icon

    KOReader

     78 likes

    An ebook reader application supporting PDF, DjVu, EPUB, FB2 and many more formats, running on Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook, Linux and Android devices.

    77 KOReader alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    • AppImageHub
    • Kobo Books
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Kindle Fire
    • Android Tablet
    KOReader screenshot 1
     
  10. Adobe Acrobat Reader icon

    Adobe Acrobat Reader

     445 likes

    Seamlessly view, annotate, and collaborate on PDFs with freehand drawing and sticky notes. Utilize cloud storage for effortless access and upgrade for advanced editing and conversion to formats like Word and Excel.

    117 Adobe Acrobat Reader alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Adobe Acrobat Reader screenshot 1
     
    |
    2
    Adobe Acrobat Reader vs Drawboard PDF Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    8

    limited annotation capabilities. Cannot write directly onto pdf like in drawboard.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    violoncello
    Negative
    0

    doesn't allow for handwritten annotations with a stylus

    • Adobe Acrobat Reader is Freemium and ProprietaryDrawboard PDF is also Freemium and Proprietary
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader is LightweightDrawboard PDF is not according to our users
  11. Linwood Butterfly icon

    Linwood Butterfly

     43 likes

    Butterfly is a note-taking app where your ideas come first. You can paint, add texts, and export them easily on every device. This app works on android, windows, linux, and in the web.

    48 Linwood Butterfly alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • Self-Hosted
    • Snapcraft
    • AltStore
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    Linwood Butterfly screenshot 1
     
  12. OpenBoard Whiteboard icon

    OpenBoard Whiteboard

     71 likes

    OpenBoard is a cross-platform (Linux / Windows / macOS) interactive whiteboard application. It is currently maintained by the Education Department (DIP) of the Canton of Geneva in Switzerland.

    100 OpenBoard Whiteboard alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    OpenBoard Whiteboard screenshot 1
     
  13. xournal icon

    xournal

     74 likes

    Xournal is an application for notetaking, sketching, keeping a journal using a stylus. It is free software (GNU GPL) and runs on Linux (recent distributions), Windows and other GTK+/Gnome platforms.

    53 xournal alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    xournal screenshot 1
     
  14. Papers icon

    Papers

     12 likes

    A document viewer for the GNOME desktop. You can view, search or annotate documents in many different formats.

    74 Papers alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • Flatpak
    A clear, simple Ul
     
12 of 51 Drawboard PDF alternatives